Santa Clara's sand volleyball team, ranked No. 16 nationally, finished as the runner-up at the Santa Cruz Collegiate Challenge on Saturday on Main Beach in Santa Cruz. Posting a 2-1 record, the Broncos lost in the finals to No. 3 Hawaii. The Broncos are 5-2 this season.
Bronco head sand coach Aaron Mansfield said hosting the tournament with USF was a good experience for both schools as well as the experience of playing on the beach in the deeper sand. "We had to learn how to take care of our bodies for the whole weekend, being in the shade, staying hydrated, all those things. We had a really good showing on Saturday, winning our pool before losing in the final to Hawaii, who has moved up to No. 2 this week. We played them tough in three matches so that was a good experience for us."
The Broncos started the day wth a 5-0 win over Cal Poly. The win was highlighted by a third set win for GiGi Cresto and Jensen Cunningham at No 3.
Next up in pool play were the Cal Bears. Santa Clara won 3-2. The match inclued a three-set victory for Santa Clara's No. 1s, Kirsten Mead and Nikki Hess.
The Broncos were blanked 5-0 in the finals by No. 3 Hawaii. Bakersfield defeated Cal 5-0 in the third place game.
Hawaii finished the day at 3-0 as they blanked both Bakersfield and USF 5-0 in pool play. Bakersfield posted a 2-1 record on the day, including a 4-1 win over USF. Cal Poly finished 0-3, including a 4-1 loss to Cal. Cal was 1-2.
The Broncos will play at Sacramento State on April 1 at 4 pm before playing at the USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach, Calif. April 11-12.
Santa Clara will host its final home matches on April 15 vs. Cal at 4 pm and then April 17 vs. Saint Mary's at 3 pm.
